How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
F*** God. (2.2.380)
Welp. Do we really need to say any more about this line? This is part of James's stream-of-consciousness rant. The only other entity he is this mad at is the mysterious "her," the girl he used to be in love with. Is God a stand-in for authority in general? Authority times infinity? Is this why James has such a problem with God, or is it more complicated than that?
Quote #5
There is a publication classification in an upper corner. It reads Religion. I am immediately skeptical. (2.3.381)
Hey, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Ahem. Anyway, just because this one has "religion" on the cover doesn't mean the book has nothing valuable to say. James gives the Tao Te Ching a shot (also a "religious" text, though it's not about "God"), and he's glad he did, so maybe it's Christianity he specifically has a problem with. Why would that be?
Quote #6
God, in our Society, is a man with a long flowing beard who sits on a chair in Heaven. You don't have to believe in that. A Higher Power can by anything you would like it to be or anything that gets you through the day. (3.1.73)
Joanne often tries to get James to follow the Twelve-Step program, but maybe James just has a problem with belief in general. If he can't see it and can't touch it, then it doesn't exist.